I’m sure you are enjoying your Facebook feed of your friends showing themselves in photos in which they have felt their most beautiful. I love seeing what people choose and then looking at the joy in their faces in those pictures. I was nominated for this as well, and as I was going through my pictures, having a little stroll down memory lane, I had a total moment. A-ha and a little sad at the same time.

Since last fall, when Ken had his eye accident and shit got really real in our house, my heart hasn’t been in the hard core athletic body routine that it used to be. Gone are the days when I would lace up my runners and run 10 miles for fun. Gone are the 300 Burpee sweat fest workouts and the pushing the body to see

just

how

much

she

could

do

I don’t know why this all started to happen around the time of the accident? Maybe it was a catalyst? Maybe I was under enough stress that it was the proverbial straw? The reason why isn’t really what has garnered my attention.

The pounds have come on. I’ve noticed my clothes getting a little tighter. There have been days when I’ve thought that I may be letting this get too far. Not in a, you- lazy- ass- way, though. It’s been much more gentle than that. It’s more of a fleeting thought and then truthfully, another much more pleasant one arrives to take the place. I have been practicing more self-love and have been coming from a place of self-compassion and self-care. I’ve been listening and deciding what is true for me in my body, about my body and for my body. I think it’s very interesting, because when I am discussing weight gain and then mention my almost 20 lb increase since last September, people seem to be shocked. Maybe they’re just being kind. Maybe they really haven’t noticed. And now that I’ve said it, maybe it will be on everyone’s mind when they see me. Maybe they just don’t care. This is most likely the truth. I’ve realized that it doesn’t matter what is on other people’s minds because what’s on mine is what is most important to me.

Here is where and what really sunk in for me.

As I scrolled through my pictures, I saw myself at times in my life where I have been at my most fit. This is where the a-ha took hold. My first thought wasn’t look how fit I was in my 20lbs ago or more pictures. Look how thin I was. Look how beautiful I look. My thought, as I took myself back to that moment, was that even when I was at what the fitness world deemed the most desirable, I wasn’t any happier than I am now. In fact, I thought more about the imperfections of my body and all of the things my body wasn’t enough of more back then than I do now. Not a single one of my pictures for the Facebook challenge was a picture from the super fit days. Not one.

This picture came up in my feed. Oh, how I remember this picture. This day. It was definitely a time when I was in the best physical condition of my life, and I remember thinking that I should have bought Spanx for this dress. What?????

I am not alone in my realization of this. I have heard many industry leaders speak about the very same thing. This is however the first time that I have made the connection that my happiness is no longer dependent on my body size or shape in such a profound way.

So, you know what? It truly is not the body that needs all the work, my friends. It’s the mind. It’s all about how you view yourself and what you do with that information that’s going to make you truly happy. No diet or dumbbell is going to bring you the love and respect for your vehicle that you truly need to develop.

Maybe we can finally ditch the belief that we are going to be happy when we reach a number on the scale. I am proof that isn’t true.

Maybe we can realize that we can be happy first and then let the rest fall into place with a little work and a lot of love.

Maybe we can see that the timeless body paradox is that we will be happy when…but that unless we are happy now, there is no getting to when.

I’ve taken a big stop and go in the other direction with respect to how I view, and how I take care of my body. This new way? For me? It feels so much more pleasurable, desirable and doable*. For now, this is what feels really good for me. For now, I am really happy with what I am doing for myself in this moment. And funny, the weight is coming off. And I feel more beautiful than I ever have. It has come along by way of a lot of work and coaching. If you want to reach that place in your life too, the place in which you are living the very best version of yourself, then contact us. The place where you have a strong focus on bringing pleasure, joy and happiness into every area of your life in an effort to create your BEST life experience is completely available to you. Teaming up with our mission for living a holistic healthy lifestyle, we want to encourag you to check out The Pleasured Life. Using our coaching services for creating the best relationship with yourself, we would love to support you in getting there!

*Let it be known that I am not judging anyone else for what they do with the care and maintenance of the most important vehicle in their possession, I am simply discerning that for me, in this time, I am doing exactly what my body, wants, needs and desires. I am a complete devotee of the importanceand responsibility of looking after your body with movement and nutrition. How you do that to be healthy is up to you.